Welcome, La Need Machine! To begin, could you tell us about the journey of La Need Machine – how did you all come together to form the band?
Pretty simple — we are all from the Seattle area and came together via mutual friends.
What’s the story behind the name ‘La Need Machine’ and how does it reflect in your music?
The term “La Need Machine” represents greed to us. Unlike in the movies, we believe
greed is bad. We have intentionally established our band as a force for good by donating to portions of our streams, views and merch sales to local and international charities. Charities we support include:
· The Trevor Project
- The Humane Society of the United States
· National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
· Mary’s Place Emergency Family Shelters
· American Nurses Foundation
· Tetiaroa Society (Marlon Brando’s non-profit)
· Childhaven - Northwest Harvest
· Global Impact – Ukraine Response Fund
· Doctors Without Borders
· Ukrainian Community Center of Washington
How do you handle creative differences within the band?
By addressing it directly. We talked about how to handle this and we have simple rules that apply. If a creative suggestion elevates the music, we will use it. If it does not, we don’t use that creative idea. We have a great producer Bear Davis who helps us work through this question if there are differences.
Moving to your single ‘Maria’, what was the main inspiration behind this song?
Maria is an anti-bullying song. The inspiration was a real-world situation in which I observed some kids bullying a little girl at the park. As I was thinking about what I should do, a little boy came over and stopped it. I then envisioned the boy and the girl following in love and living their life together.
Can you describe the songwriting and composing process for ‘Maria’? How did it evolve from an idea to the final track?
The spark was the bullying instance I previously referenced. From there I wrote the lyrics. Once the lyrics were done, I applied what I thought was the right musical feel to the story. Then came a song structure that supported that musical feel. Once we had that we looked at instrumentation and vocal melodies. We thought strings and sax would be great for the song, and then we thought a Latin singer would be best. Bear Davis and I started the producing next, laying down foundational tracks starting with acoustic guitar with a click track. From there we added the additional layers, and realized we had a really good song waiting to emerge from the rough mix!
Could you share a behind-the-scenes story from the recording sessions of ‘Maria’?
The great thing about Bear Davis as a producer and studio owner is that he has dozens of high-quality guitars to use to get the right feel. We used several different guitars, including a vintage Les Paul Custom that you can see in the video. Don’t have any stories about big parties in the studio because we are all business when we get in the studio. We are looking for best recording we can make, and mixing partying with that doesn’t get us to the end result. We find joy and excitement when we get the right part on tape!
What is your favorite line from ‘Maria’, and why does it stand out to you?
“Sat down when no one did; Leaned into her and said; Hey – would you; Would you like a friend”
It stands out because it represents action, getting involved, helping someone. Anyone can stand on the sidelines, watch the bullying occur, and then do nothing but feel bad for the person being bullied. It’s kind of like the “the thoughts and prayers” comments we hear about tragic incidents. No, I want more. I want you to get involved and problem solve.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while producing ‘Maria’?
Our singer for the single, Sebastian, was in Argentina!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about making music?
Follow your heart and make music you love. If you do that, people will feel it and appreciate it. Our sound is our sound and we’re not trying to sound like anyone else. Once you start trying to sound like someone else, the magic disappears and the audience can feel it. Not a good place to be.
Looking forward, what are the long-term goals or dreams for La Need Machine?
To continue to make new music that people enjoy. Of course we want to make our audience larger so we can keep doing this and donate more money to non-profits. We have recently signed with WorldSound/Virgin Music Group so we hope to produce music that keeps us with them long-term!
